Half to james stuaet



(No Model.)

F. M. WATROUS.

DEVIG-E FOR SECURING BOX COVERS.

Patented June 24', 1884.

N,-PETERS. Phoiolrthugnphar. VIA-Human. 0.1:

Nrrnn STATES FFICE.

ATENT FILLMORE M. \VATROUS, OF ANSONIA, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO JAMES STUART, OF SAME PLACE.

DEVICE FOR SECURING BOX-COVERS.

EPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 300,926, dated June 24, 1884.

Application filed January 21, 1884. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, FILLMORE M. 7 AT- ROUS, of Ansonia, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in- Devices for Securing Box- Covers; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in Figure 1, the nail detached; Fig. 2, the turnbutton detached; Fig. 3, a 'top view of the cover, showing the notches; Fig. 4, a top view of the box, the cover removed, showing the nails applied; Fig. 5, a top View of the box, showing the cover secured; Fig. 6, an enlarged view of the cover, box, and fastening device, to illustrate the operation.

This invention relates to a device by which a box-cover may be readily secured or detached with special reference to boxes designed to receive coffins or caskets. It is 110w almost the universal custom to place the coffin or casket in a strong box preparatory to its being placed in the grave, and this placing of the casket in the box occurs after the funeral ceremony, and generally at the grave. The cover as heretofore applied has been secured by numerous screws. The securing of the cover onto the box after the casket has been placed therein requires considerable time, and. is always a hurried effort on the part of the persons employed to do it, and necessitates an unseemly interruption in the funeral service. The object of my invention is to provide a device by which the cover may be readily secured or removed, and thereby avoid the driving of screws out or in; and it consists in cutting notches into the edge of the cover at points where screws are usually applied, and fixing into the box at these points a spike or screw with a turn-button thereon in one position of less extent than the notches in the cover, and so that in that position the cover will pass down over the turnbuttons to its place on the box, then simply turning the button will secure the cover, as more fully hereinafter described.

The fastening device consists of a nail or spike, a, of length according to the thickness of the cover, its upper end screw-threaded. The turn-button I) may be made of any ornamental or emblematical shape. At one end it is pierced, as at (Z, and screw-threaded corresponding to the screw-thread of the nail. The diameter of the head or pierced end is only so much larger than the nail as to give sufficient metal to sustain the turn-button when on the nail.

To apply the fastening, the cover A of the box has notches 6 cut into the edge of the cover-at points where the fastening should be appliedsay in the usual position for applying common screws. These notches are in width little greater than the head or pierced end of the turn-button. The nails are driven into the edges of the box at points corresponding to the notches in the cover, and to such an extent as to leave at least the full thickness of the cover below the turn-button when in its highest position, or nearest the head or end of the nail. Then the turn-buttons are turned outward, so as to bring their body outside the line of the box, as seen in Fig. 6. Then the cover placed upon the box, the notches passing down around the head of the turn-button.

Then the turn-button is turned upon the screw until it comes to a bearing thereon, leaving the body of the button on the top surface of the cover, and as seen in Fig. 6. the cover, turn the button to the position indicated in broken lines, Fig. 6, in which position the surface of the turn-button exposed to the notch is of less extent than the notch.

To remove started. Then when the cover is replaced, as and threaded corresponding to the screwthe button is turned back over the cover, the thread of the nail, the body of the turn-button screwthread causes it to descend and bear projecting from one side of said head, the boxwith an increasing pressure upon the top of cover constructed with notches e, and the nail 5 the cover. driven into the box at points corresponding 15 I claim to said notches, all substantially as described. The hereiirdescribed fastening for bOX-COV- FILLMORE M; VVATROUS.

ers, consisting of the nail .a, having its upper Vitnesses: or head end screw-threaded, combined with FRANK A. KIRKHAM,

10 the turn-button b, havingits head end pierced I FRED. M; DREW. 

